"Sigh, I'm so dizzy from refining medicine that I'm hallucinating. How could Lan'er be here?" Meng Zhong continued writing, his head still buried in his work.
"Father!" Meng Zhelan ran to Meng Zhong in a few steps. "It's Lan'er, Father!" Tears she couldn't hold back finally streamed down her cheeks.
Meng Zhong looked up in disbelief and said, "It really is you, Lan'er, what brings you here?" The nearly forty-year-old Doctor Meng was also in tears.
Qin Xiaolin walked out, saying, "Let's go outside first, or someone might come at any moment." "Yes, Lan'er, let's take your father back first," Li Xi stepped forward and asked Meng Zhong what they wanted to take with them.
"These are all useless, let's go," Meng Zhong said, taking nothing with him.
In the pitch-black night, the carriage, like a mysterious beam of light, travels through the boundless darkness. Its wheels roll slowly on the ancient stone road, making a "creak, creak" sound, like a weary traveler telling the story of bygone years.
The horse's breathing sounded particularly clear in the cold night. The carriage was illuminated by soft candlelight, and the father and daughter talked about the events of the past few months. Outside the carriage, Li Xi, who was driving, and Qin Xiaolin, who was sitting on the other side, were also talking.
"Brother Qin, I owe you a great deal of help tonight. I will definitely thank you properly another day." Li Xi's opinion of him has changed a lot in the past few days. At first, he thought he was a playboy from a wealthy family who indulged in sensual pleasures.
"You saved me last time too, no need for thanks, this is just repaying your kindness," he said, his eyes too cold, his gaze fixed ahead, the candlelight from the lanterns hanging on the carriage illuminating his profile. High nose, thin lips, and jet-black hair, his superior features stunned Li Xi; she hadn't realized that ancient men could be so handsome, though his words carried a hint of coldness.
The creaking of the wheels and the breathing of the horses mingled together, creating a beautiful symphony. This symphony sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night, as if trying to make everyone feel its presence. And everyone in the carriage was enjoying the tranquility and peace brought by this symphony.
"Brother Li, I'll get off the carriage up ahead. It's just a short walk to my house. Be careful on your way back," Qin Xiaolin instructed before jumping off the carriage and disappearing into the darkness.
An hour later, the carriage stopped at the gate. Tian Tian had been listening to the sounds outside and knew that Li Xi and the others had returned. She opened the gate, removed the threshold, and led the horse inside.
Hearing the commotion, Ling'er ran out of the house. "You're finally back! Doctor Meng, it really is you!" Ling'er exclaimed in surprise.
"Ling'er, so you've come to Kyoto too," Meng Zhong exclaimed, as the group entered Meng Zhelan's room. Tian Tian poured hot water for them, and the three of them warmed their hands as they held the warm cups.
"Lan'er, I really have to thank your friends this time. This is..." "Father, this is Xi'er. I met her a few months ago in Yunnan and Sichuan..."
Meng Zhelan told her father everything that had happened in the past few months. Meng Zhong, realizing he had implicated his daughter, gradually reddened his eyes. It turned out that he had been captured and imprisoned in the Gao mansion, where he spent his days concocting medicine. The person behind it all had never appeared; it was his subordinates who arranged for him to concoct medicine.
“Miss Li, if it weren’t for you, my daughter and I would never have met again.” Meng Zhong stood up and was about to bow to Li Xi to express his gratitude when she stopped him. “Doctor Meng, you’re too kind. It was Lan’er who saved my life, which led to this situation.”
"Dr. Meng, come and have some pastries. I'll prepare a feast for you tomorrow to welcome you home." Ling'er was also very excited to see him. Back in her hometown, Dr. Meng had been very kind to her.
“Yes, Dad, you should rest first, we’ll talk again tomorrow,” Meng Zhelan and the others got up and went out. Tonight, she was going to keep Li Xi company.
"Xi'er, will those people come looking for us?" she asked worriedly. "They probably won't for now. Kyoto is so big, they won't be able to find us anytime soon. Tell Uncle Meng to stay home as much as possible, or have Tian Tian take him out in a carriage," Li Xi instructed.
The winter night was cold and long. The man who had been knocked unconscious in the Gao mansion was awakened by the cold. The two guards in the small courtyard, upon waking and discovering Meng Zhong was missing, disregarded everything else and ran to wake the Venerable One. "You're utterly useless! You managed to knock someone out like that!" the man roared in fury.
"We sent all the assassins out of the city today, but we didn't expect anyone to still find their way here. We can't stay in the Gao residence anymore." "Give the order: tomorrow, notify our men to leave this place. Those who are out should send a message to the casino basement over there to await a summons." "Yes, Your Excellency," the guard replied, trembling as he withdrew.
When Qin Xiaolin returned to the Duke's mansion, Zhao Zhan was waiting for him at the side gate. "The Duke asked where you went today, and I told him you went to Young Master Shen's residence." "Alright, I understand. Tomorrow, send someone to the Gao residence to spread the word to Madam Gao that Master Gao is keeping a mistress outside, and have someone lure her to his door to cause trouble," the tall and handsome young man said calmly as he stood there and gave the order.
When Meng Zhong woke up, hot water and a towel had been prepared in the room. He couldn't help but sigh at the twists of fate. He had fled the capital before, but now he was back here.
"Father, are you up?" Meng Zhelan heard noises coming from inside the house. "Yes, I'm washing up. Quickly get me some food, I'm starving." "Okay, Father, wait here." Meng Zhelan hurried to the kitchen.
"Lan'er, breakfast for Doctor Meng is ready. Take it and eat with him." Ling'er was holding the handle of a small iron pot. The beef and egg porridge was just cooked, steaming hot with small bubbles rising from it. The aroma of fresh beef wafted through the air.
Meng Zhong ate extremely quickly, as if he hadn't eaten for a long time. "Dad, slow down, there's plenty more, be careful not to burn your mouth," she said. Seeing her father's disheveled eating, she finally felt relieved. All the hard work these past few days had been worthwhile. Now that they had enough to eat and wear, and their lives were settled, they were already very fortunate.
"Lan'er, you should eat too. It must have been tough for you girls these past few days. Sigh, it's all my fault for being useless. Don't worry, I won't let you wander around anymore. We'll settle down in the capital from now on."
"Father, are you planning to go back there?" Meng Zhelan found it unbelievable. For the past ten years, her father's expression had changed drastically whenever the topic of Kyoto came up.
"Lan'er, we've been away from the capital for ten years, but we still can't escape it in the end. I've made up my mind. Rather than hiding for the rest of our lives, we should show ourselves in the open and give ourselves an identity so that others won't dare to bully us at will." Meng Zhong thought about it all night and felt that this was the best way.
“Okay, I’ll listen to Dad.” Meng Zhelan knew that her father wasn’t just talking casually. Since he had already made up his mind, she could only firmly support him.
"Well, Father, I have something to tell you, please don't blame me. Well, it's about that. When we were in Yunnan and Sichuan, in order to raise travel expenses, I sold five houses to the clinic you often visited, and got five thousand taels. The houses, shops, and clinic here were all bought with that money. You won't blame me, will you?" Meng Zhelan's eyes flickered.
“Silly child, it’s just a few prescriptions. Sell them if you think they’re suitable, it doesn’t matter,” Meng Zhong said, blaming himself. It was his weakness that prevented his daughter from having a good life.
“Oh, right, Dad, I brought all your books. They’re right there. I don’t know if you’ve seen them,” Meng Zhelan said, pointing to the rows of bookshelves behind her.
"I saw it, thank you so much, my dear girl," Dr. Meng said with relief.
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